As Augustine Contemplates his Own Nature as well as that of GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question:

As Augustine contemplates his own nature as well as that of his fellow men, he sees wickedness and corruption on every hand. Man is a sinful creature and there is nothing that is wholly good about him. The cause is to be found in original sin, which mankind inherited from Adam. If Adam is regarded as a particular human being, it would make no sense at all to blame his descendants for the mistakes that he made. But Adam is interpreted to mean the universal man rather than a particular individual. Since the universal necessarily includes all of the particulars belonging to the class, they are involved in whatever the universal does.

The total corruption of human nature as taught by Augustine did not mean that man is incapable of doing any good deeds. It meant that each part of his nature is infected with an evil tendency. In contrast to the Greek notion of a good mind and an evil body, he held that both mind and body had been made corrupt as a result of the fall. This corruption is made manifest in the lusts of the flesh and also in the activities of the mind. So far as the mind is concerned, the evil tendency is present in both the intellect and in the will. In the intellect, it is expressed in the sin of pride, and in the will, there is the inclination to follow that which is pleasant at the moment rather than to obey the demands of reason.

‘As Augustine contemplates his own nature as well as that of’’ is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 7 comprehension questions.

The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analysing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Questions and Solutions

1. According to the passage, in order for modern man to be guilty of original sin,

1. he must be corrupt in both mind and body.
2. he must be guilty of intellectual and physical errors.
3. Adam must be regarded as a unique human being.
4. Adam must be regarded as the universal man.
5. Adam must be regarded as responsible for Eve’s fall.

2. Which of the following is a logical inference from this passage?

1. The earlier in history a man is born, the more sinful he is likely to be.
2. The later in history a man is born, the more sinful he is likely to be.
3. Augustine would not agree with the phrase “as innocent as a newborn child.”
4. Augustine would agree that animals inherit original sin from Adam.
5. At birth, a female is less guilty of sin than a male.

3. Which of the following would Augustine be most likely to regard as a consequence of the infected will?

1. pride on one’s ancestry
2. envy of another’s wisdom
3. overeating
4. vanity about one’s appearance
5. temper tantrums

4. According to the passage, the Greek idea of man differs from Augustine’s because it believed that

1. man is incapable of performing good deeds.
2. man possesses an evil body but a good mind.
3. corruption proceeds from the infected will.
4. man possesses a good body and a good mind.
5. man is incapable of following the dictates of reason.

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